This invention relates to a hand shield for use in association with an injection port of an intravenous flow path to prevent accidental puncture wounds from occurring.
Flow paths for gravity feeding IV solutions to a patient are generally equipped with an injection port through which blood and/or medications can be delivered directly into the flow line for rapid administration. The injection port typically includes a short piece of tubing that enters the main flow line at an angle and is capped at its distal end by a needle penetratable membrane. It is not uncommon for a health care worker who is attempting to insert a needle into the port to have the needle slip and puncture the hand that is used to steady the port. Accidental needlesticks are not potentially dangerous in themselves but they do provide openings in the skin through which infections such as AIDS, hepatitis or the like can be acquired.